1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to economic development; creating a 
  1.3             distressed rural county job training and telecommuting 
  1.4             program; appropriating money; proposing coding for new 
  1.5             law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 116L. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [116L.07] [DEFINITIONS.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [SCOPE.] For the purpose of this section 
  1.9   and section 116L.08, the terms defined in this section have the 
  1.10  meanings given them.  
  1.11     Subd. 2.  [BOARD.] "Board" means the jobs skills 
  1.12  partnership board.  
  1.13     Subd. 3.  [DISTRESSED RURAL COUNTY.] "Distressed rural 
  1.14  county" means a county outside the seven-county metropolitan 
  1.15  area as defined in section 473.121, subdivision 2, that:  
  1.16     (1) has experienced a drop in per capita income in any of 
  1.17  the immediately preceding four years; or 
  1.18     (2) has a relatively high proportion of income from 
  1.19  agriculture. 
  1.20     Sec. 2.  [116L.08] [DISTRESSED RURAL COUNTY TRAINING AND 
  1.21  TELECOMMUTING PROGRAM.] 
  1.22     Subdivision 1.  [CREATED.] The rural job training and 
  1.23  telecommuting program is created to be administered by the jobs 
  1.24  skills partnership board.  The purpose of the program is to 
  1.25  increase the number of skilled workers in distressed rural 
  2.1   counties and place them with employers primarily focusing on 
  2.2   jobs involving technology and telecommuting.  
  2.3      Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBLE GRANTEES.] A grant may be made to a 
  2.4   government organization, private or public educational or 
  2.5   training institution, or nonprofit or for-profit private entity 
  2.6   that:  
  2.7      (1) has identified at least ten individuals residing in a 
  2.8   distressed rural county who desire training in a technology 
  2.9   related area; 
  2.10     (2) has a commitment from an employer to employ the 
  2.11  individuals after the training in a distressed rural county 
  2.12  either at a business site or through telecommuting; and 
  2.13     (3) has a training partner that is able and willing to 
  2.14  provide the required training. 
  2.15     Subd. 3.  [GRANT PROCESS.] The board shall establish a 
  2.16  grant application process that may be coordinated, in whole or 
  2.17  part, with other application processes maintained by the board.  
  2.18     Subd. 4.  [GRANT AMOUNT.] The maximum grant for any one 
  2.19  application is $200,000.  
  2.20     Subd. 5.  [GRANT CRITERIA.] The board shall give preference 
  2.21  to grants that propose to train the largest number of workers 
  2.22  for which there is a commitment to hire and to proposals that 
  2.23  serve distressed rural counties greatest in distress.  
  2.24     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.25     $2,000,000 is appropriated from the workforce development 
  2.26  fund to the commissioner of trade and economic development for 
  2.27  the jobs skills partnership board for the purposes of making 
  2.28  grants under Minnesota Statutes, section 116L.08.